close
close

How COVID-19 changed family dinners

How COVID-19 changed family dinners

WASHINGTON — While the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led many families to eat more meals at home, they had an additional benefit: an increase in the quality of family time during it, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association Dinner.

The study, published in the journal Couple and family psychology: research and practicefound that families who ate together more often during the pandemic also had more positive interactions, shared news and information, and even used technology like video conferencing to connect with distant family members.

“The predominant research on family meals has focused on frequency as a key indicator of benefit for children and adolescents,” said lead author Anne Fishel, PhD, a physician and family therapy researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital. “This study highlights the importance of examining both frequency and quality to understand the full picture of how shared meals can impact families.”

Researchers examined data from a survey of 517 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse parents in the United States conducted in May 2021. Their goal was to examine changes in the frequency and quality of family meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants were asked about frequency, quality and post-pandemic expectations. The survey included questions about positive and negative interactions, family support, and involvement with the outside world. They were asked questions such as: “During the pandemic, did all or most of the people who lived in your house eat dinner together less, about the same, or more than before the pandemic?” Participants then gave answers on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 meant “much less” and 5 meant “much more”.

Over 60% of respondents said they ate dinner together more often during the pandemic than before the pandemic. There was also a significant increase in positive interactions (e.g., expressing gratitude, laughing, or feeling connected) during family meals.

“Specifically, 56% said they talked more about their days during dinner, 60% said they talked more about their identity as a family, 60% said they expressed gratitude more often, 67% said that they laughed together more often and 59% said they felt more connected “We’re connected at the dinner table,” Fishel said. This positive association was evident across income level, education, age, gender and race.

The pandemic has brought new aspects to family dinners, including eating remotely with extended family members and more discussions about current events, Fishel said. Many families used videoconferencing to connect with extended family, potentially increasing a sense of belonging to a larger family unit. Most parents who increased their use of technology for remote dinners during the pandemic reported that they plan to continue the practice when the pandemic subsides.

Researchers also noted that more families are incorporating news and information from the outside world into their dinner conversations, which may provide a safe space for children to discuss fears and questions with their parents.

Overall, this study suggests that the increased frequency of family dinners during the pandemic may have had lasting positive effects on family dynamics, Fishel said.

“The pandemic has changed many aspects of our lives, some for the better. Even if parents did not intentionally choose to have more shared meal times, the increase in family meals was largely related to an improvement in the quality of family meals during the pandemic period, she said.

The results also highlight the potential benefits of using technology to connect with extended family and incorporate current events into dinner conversations.

“Continued use of remote technology to connect with people who are not physically present can provide lasting opportunities for family bonding and give children a sense of belonging to a larger unit, which we know has a positive impact on them well-being,” said Fishel.

ARTICLE: How COVID-19 has expanded the family table: Increased frequency, coupled with improved quality and new ways of eating together“by Anne Fishel, PhD, and Melinda I. Morrill, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital. Couple and family psychology: research and practicepublished online October 31st.

CONTACT: Dr. Fishel can be reached at [email protected].

The American Psychological Association, based in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA’s membership includes over 157,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and its affiliations with 60 national, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, the APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve lives.


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of press releases published on EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information via the EurekAlert system.